Essay on how to promote education in Rural India

Free 800 words essay on how to promote education in Rural India for school and college students.

India has the privilege of having a favorable and booming demographic dividend at the time when much of the world’s economic superpowers are ageing and falling short of workforce. However, in order to ensure that this unique demography becomes an asset and not liability, Indian education system has to undergo transformational changes in its functioning and outcome. The success of ambitious Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education Act unless their operations are successful in rural India where a majority of population resides. Education is the best way to bring social change.

This legally enforceable Act ensures that every child between the age of 6-14 receives free and compulsory elementary education, and has been given the stature of a fundamental right. Under this provision, underprivileged and marginalized students are entitled to get admissions even in private schools as 25% reservation has been guaranteed to them. If capable students from rural background are facilitation of transparent enrollment in these schools, there are stronger chances of rural upgradation as well as universalization of education.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and Inclusive Education

Education brings enlightenment and transformation in an individual. SSA provides the adequate measures to bring a positive change in promotion of education in rural areas. Some of its essential provisions are:

On the top of that, further measures that can be taken for emancipation in rural areas could be the following:

Role of Panchayat Members in promoting inclusive education

Frequent parent and teacher interaction

Incentivization of education for children

Parents who don’t send their children to school and send them to work instead must be counseled. Those parents can be given employment under MGNREGA while the children are free to attend schools.

Quality improvement of Mid-Day Meal Scheme

Formulation of village monitoring committees to report on absenteeism

Tribal Education

It is important to bring the Scheduled Castes of India to the mainstream education and at the forefront to national development. The total literacy rate of tribals in India is 47.1. Their peripheral employment and lifestyle remains a challenge that needs to be accommodated in policymaking. The government needs to address the following challenges:

Psychological and social factors such as low literacy rates of parents and exclusion

Minimal social interaction between teachers and students

Superstition, prejudice, and religious preponderance over education

Scattered population of tribals with low density

Competency and suitability of teachers

Linguistic issues and tribal dialects that are rudimentary

School drop-outs

Improvement in Child Nutrition

The Government of India has operationalized multiple schemes to fight against malnutrition that remains the biggest obstacle in student enrollment or dropouts in rural areas.

Integrated Child development Services

Kishori Shakti Yojana

Rajiv Gandhi scheme for empowerment of adolescent girls

Mid-day Meals Program

National food security Mission

Targeted Public Distribution System

Antyodaya anna Yojana

National Rural Health Mission

Nevertheless, failure at the level of governance has highlighted several shortcomings in implementation of these schemes and service delivery. The government needs to put exaggerated efforts in these areas to fulfill their constitutional obligations.

Shift in public policy

Certain measures recommended by experts are:

Social audit of the implementation of schemes

Monitoring of government officials and authority

Simplification in the implementation of ICDS

Effective cross-ministry mechanism for service delivery

Involvement of historically excluded schemes

Frequent monitoring of nutrition status mechanism of children

Improving Rural Livelihoods

The role of Panchayati Raj institutions would play an important role in development at the grassroots level. Rural poverty is one of the most challenging issue. There is a need for mobilization of resources and emancipation of rural livelihood options. Only a multi-dimensional approach can address the multiple deprivation issues. A bottom-up approach has to be employed for capacity building of Gram Sabha which have extensive financial and administrative powers. They must be made more financially independent by innovative methods of revenue generation or fiscal devolution from the State government.

The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and MGNREGA schemes have to regularly monitored and strengthened. It would give people scope and confidence to send their children to school.

The additional measures to be taken range from vocationalization of education and skill development to digitization of education. The rural poor must be encouraged to receive adequate educational benefits and reservation provisions from the government. Rural infrastructure and teacher-student ratio needs to be intensified and reinforced. Rural India deserves all the facilities like their urban counterparts. There is no dearth of talent in villages. Children from these communities can be equally contributive and responsible for the creation of a New India.